A Truly Edible Experience

Monday, November 26th, 2012

Sharing a meal is a great way to get to know people, and sharing a meal without the constraints of arguing over the bill, worrying about the bar tab or feeling that you have to enrol your 'polite restaurant' etiquette is even better.

Having just lost my Supper Club virginity I feel it is only fair (and possibly my morale duty) to spread the word to as many people as will listen, that if you want to go out and eat, meet new people, dine like a family and have a thoroughly great time then you need look no further than an Edible Experience.

This fabulous website brings together a plethora of supper clubs, pop-up restaurant events and food classes. If you are looking for fun food and drink experiences in London then Edible Experiences makes it easier for you to discover them.

Sunday Feasts was a three month supper club series organised by Edible Experiences, located in Covent Garden. Every Sunday since September 2012 they have showcased a different Supper Club which cooked up a big family feast, reflecting how their respective communities would come together and meet and eat on a Sunday.

We joined in for the finale of this extravaganza and enjoyed an evening of Mauritian dishes bought to us by our wonderful hosts Selina Periampillai and Jason Horeesorun.

Not knowing what to expect we headed up the London School of Wok, which had been transformed for the night into a pop-up restaurant.

Here we were greeted by WenLin Soh, founder of Edible Experiences, and from the moment we walked through the door we felt just like family.

An exceptionally warm welcome from everyone we met put us immediately at ease and after being presented with a rum cocktail and introduced to our hosts we found a seat at one of the three large tables, already occupied by a diverse group of people.

On taking our seats at the table we sampled the spiced cashews served to accompany our rum punch while we waited for our trio of starters; Gateaux Piment (split pea chilli & coriander balls), Gateaux Bringle (aubergine splices fried in chickpea batter), Du Pain Frier (slices of bread, fried in batter) all accompanied by a green mango, carrot and cucumber salad, with tamarind sauce and a coriander satini.

Yes, that was just the starters. And they were all divine!

The following Roti Chaud (a Mauritian butterbean curry Grois Pois and Rougaille tomato chilli sauce in a mini roti wrap), with Anchar crunchy mustard vegetables blew us away. While this may all sound very spicy and hot, the combination of flavours and spices were in fact very palatable and worked in absolute harmony together.

By the time the main courses arrived we felt like kings, with such an array of dishes placed before us.

The Bol Renversee, a popular Chinese/Mauritian dish was served with an element of surprise. Hiding under our bowls and presented upside-down, this dish consisted of prawns, sweetcorn, mushrooms and rice, with a fried egg on top. Eaten with garlic water and piment confit chillies this was delicious.

I have to say, we were grateful for the break we were given to digest this feast before the arrival of (and my personal favourite) Poudine Mais (polenta pudding with coconut and milk). A wee bit like cold semolina and reminiscent of school days, this wasn't to everyone's taste but it certainly excited mine.

The other desserts on offer were a Rum Banane Frier (caramelised bananas soaked in dark rum and brown sugar, served on crispy toast with coconut crème) and a Tropical Fruit Medley (refreshing fruits commonly found and eaten in Mauritius).

What more can I say? If you missed that then I suggest you just skip back a few paragraphs and digest that menu one more time...

With a BYOB (bring your own bottle) policy on the drinks (although fresh water was in abundance) and with the bill paid in advance, the only thing left to do at this event is to eat, drink and be merry, while making new friends and acquaintances.

Priced at £39.60 including the booking fee this is fantastic value for a three course meal, let alone the banquet of Mauritian dishes that we were served.

I could spend the next few hours telling you about the fabulous company we were in and the discovery that the guest to my right, Lisa (who was out with her fiancé Colin) not only knows who 'Sheldon' is but has also watched Firefly. With the lovely couple opposite and the group of young men to our left we were a complete family of ten, all getting to know each other while appearing to the outside world as already established family and friends.

For anyone who loves food, who is looking to widen their social circle and grow their extended family this type of event is the ideal breeding ground. And with Back Door Kitchen hosting the last 2012 supper club, a Seafood Dream Before Xmas, what better time than to step out into this wonderful world.

I've enjoyed the food and made so many lovely new friends at supperclubs over the last year. Sunday Feasts was to give the Edible Experiences community of supperclubs the opportunity to share that sense of delicious conviviality with more people in London by providing our supperclub hosts a bigger location than their usual living rooms, in central London. It's been a great run. Many of our Sunday Feasts guests were supperclub first timers, so I hope these dinners have tempted them to try more supperclubs and spread the word about them. This food, this vibe is too good not to share!

WenLin Soh, founder of Edible Experiences

Yummy Choo Mauritian Supper Club
Selina Periampillai runs a popular Mauritian supper club from her home in Croydon, cooking food that she learned from her mother and father. More recently she's been hosting Mauritian popups in central London locations, including Brixton, Clapham and Maida Vale.

Mauritian Street Food
Jason Hareesorun is a Nottingham-based Mauritian street food vendor, cooking food inspired by his mother Jameela. He travels the country bringing the taste of Mauritius to the streets of the UK.www.edibleexperiences.com